1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a loading apparatus for a recording medium such as a magnetic disk built-in cartridge, which apparatus is used for inserting/discharging the recording medium into/from a magnetic recorder/reproducer, such as a floppy disk apparatus, used in a computer system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a loading apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used for a floppy disc apparatus. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a main portion of the apparatus, before a cartridge rotatably housing a disk recording medium, such as a magnetic disk, is loaded thereon. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the apparatus with the cartridge loaded. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 numeral 101 denotes a base body, equipped with a magnetic head (not shown) and various actuators (not shown), on which a holder 103 for holding a cartridge 102 and a cover 106 having a clamp 104 rotatably provided thereon for positioning and holding the cartridge 102 inserted in the holder 103 in a predetermined position on the base 101 are mounted in such a manner as to be urged to turn clockwise around a support pin 109 by means of a compression spring 107 and a tension spring 108, respectively.
To load the cartridge 102 on the loading apparatus as constructed above, the cartridge 102 is inserted into the holder 103 in the direction indicated by arrow A, as shown in FIG. 1. Then the upper end of the cover 106 is manually pushed down and the holder 103 and the cover 106 are turned counterclockwise against the reaction force of the compression and tension springs 107, 108, thereby holding the cartridge 102 between the clamp 104 and the base body 101.
In the loading apparatus having such a construction, the cartridge 102 is inserted and discharged by a turning action, with the support pin 109 as a fulcrum. This results in a disadvantage in that the space required for inserting and discharging the cartridge (as shown in FIG. 1) is large compared with the volume of the apparatus (as shown in FIG. 2) when the cartridge is loaded. Thus, in loading, the area occupied by the apparatus becomes large, which is an obstacle to miniaturization the apparatus. Moreover, the apparatus is not easy to handle, because the operator must not only insert the cartridge 102 into the holder 103 but also turn the holder 103 with respect to the base body 101 to fix it in place. This invention is intended to eliminate the above disadvantage.